Inflammable shell



Mar. 3, 1925.

I H. sAFFoRD INFLAMMABLE SHELL Filed June 11, 1924 Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNETEQ STATES PAT RFEQEQ.

HENRY SAFFOR-D, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

INFLAMMABLE SHELL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY SArroRD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski, State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Inflannnable Shell; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to explosive shells, and has for its object to provide a device of this character wherein a can of inflammable material is disposed within the base of the shell, and a bursting charge in the nose of the shell, which bursting charge, when detona-ted, flashes through flash passages positioned whereby the/flashes will be directed against one end of the can adjacent piercing members forthe can, thereby igniting the inflammable liquid within the can during the crushing of the nose of the shell, and consequently insuring the ignition of all of the liquid.

A further object is to support the bursting charge casing on a spider adjacent one end of the can and to provide a cylindrically shaped casing for holding one end of the bursting charge casing, and at the same time forming a support for the piercing members which are forced into the can when the nose of the shell is crushed.

A further object is to provide the cylindrical casing with notches, in which notches the arms of the spider are disposed, thereby maintaining the piercing members in spaced relation to the arms of the spider.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts as hereinafter 'set forth, shown in the drawing, described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the inflammable shell, showing parts thereof in elevation.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional View through the shell taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of the inner side of the cap bursting plate.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view through Threaded at 4: on the main body 1 is a cham bered cylindrical member'5, the nose 6 of which is preferably round or conveXed and is adapted to be crushedfinwarfdly when the projectile comes into engagement with an object, for igniting the liquid through the mechanism hereinafter set forth. Disposed within the chamber l of the body 1 of the shell is a spider 7, which'spider rests on the container 2 and has the undersides of its arms 8 provided with recesses 9 whereby liquid may flow under the same after the breaking of the container. The hub 10 of the spider has its outer side provided with a recess 11 which receives an igniting charge 12, which charge when ignited flashes through the rearwardly and outwardly extending flash passages 13 which extend through the hub 10 and are positioned whereby the flame will be directed onto the container 2 adjacent the container piercing members 14:, which members, when the nose of the shell is crushed inwardly, are forced through the outer end of the container for releasing the liquid therein. Disposed within the chamber 5 of the cylindrical member 5 is a cylindrical casing 15, the inner end of which is opened and provided with recesses 15 which receive the arms 8 of the spider, however the bottoms of said recesses are provided with yieldable members 16 whereby, when the nose 6 and easing 5 are crushed, the cylindrical casing 15 will yield inwardly on the spider 7, thereby allowing the piercing members 14 to pierce the liquid containers 2. Piercing members 1% are secured at 17 to the outer end of the casing 15 and are disposed between the arms 8 of the spider 7, consequently said arms will not interfere with the movement of the piercing members, and the notches 15 will prevent circumferential displacement of the casing 15, which carries the piercing members.

Disposed within the cylindrical casing 15 15 a charge carrying member 18, the lower end of which is provided with a reduced portion 19 which is disposed in the outer end of the recess 11 in the spider. The outer end of the charge carrying member 18 is terial 3, for instance gasoline is disposed.

provided with a frusto conically shaped portion 20, which portion is received in a frusto conically shaped recess in the outer end of the casing 15, as shown at 21, and

projects beyond said outer end of the casing 15, and has disposed thereon a firing disc 22, which engages the outer end of the chamber 5 of the casing 5, however a yieldable gasket 28 is provided and interposed between the firing disc 20 and the charge carrying member 18, whereby when the nose 6 is crushed inwardly the firing disc will engage the concussion cap 24: and ignite a bursting charge 25v in the charge carrying casmg 18, which in turn will ignite the flash charge 12.

From the above it will be seen that a projectile is provided, whichupon engaging an object vwill ignite charges in a manner whereby an inflammable material disposed therein will be ignited and that said inflammable material is disposed in a container, which container is pierced uponimpact of the projectile with an object and means is provided for directing ignition flashes onto thecontainer at the point of piercing thereof.

The invention having beenset -forth what is claimed as newand useful is 1. Ashell comprising a chambered base section, a chambered nose section detachably connected to the base section, an inflammable liquid container disposed .inthe cha-mberof the base section, a spider disposed in the outer end of the base section and engaging" the container, a cylindrical auxiliary casing disposed within the nose section and having tainer, said means comprising a spider disposedon; the container in engagement there with, an auxiliary casing-disposed within the removable nose, arms carried by the spider and disposed in notches of the auxiliary casing, piercing members carried by said auxiliary'casing, a charge igniting-device supported bet-ween the spider and-the auxiliary casing, said spider being provided with deflecting flash passages positionedior deflectingignition flashes on thei container adjacent the piercing points; a

In testimony. whereof I have signedmy name-to this specification in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY: SAFFORD;

WVitnesses:

VnTR-A 'CoHN, Jonrn L. LoF'rIs. 

